Raging Moon
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Aizen Sousuke finds a dying Byakuya in the desert and saves his life by using hollowfication. Upon discovering the means used to save his life, an enraged Byakuya demands that Aizen must help him to control his inner hollow, which has a lust for fighting, and for the traitor's flesh.
1. Chapter 1

**Raging Moon**

**By Spunky0ne**

**Chapter 1: Unexpected**

**(This story is in response to a request by SarissaDiablo. ;) Thanks for the lovely suggestion and I hope you enjoy it! I hope everyone enjoys...and reviews! Love to all, Spunky)**

Aizen Sousuke knew what the sound was the moment it began. He had been aware from the start that as soon as he made his plans known to the Gotei 13, that they would stop at nothing to kill him. And they had tried more than a few times. But despite their efforts, he still lived and breathed, even though he did so in such a dead place as Hueco Mundo. But where he stood was simply a means to an end. For now, he stood on dry, desert sands, but when he completed the creation of the King's Key, Aizen Sousuke would dwell in the heavenly spirit dimension. And with the fall of the Spirit King, so too would fall the ridiculous farce of a society that placed blood over power and achievement, that played favorites and employed the laws inequitably, in short, the society that tried to hold him back for no better reason than that he came from poor loins. But they would find it very hard to look down on Aizen Sousuke when he stood in the heavens looking down on them.

Still, he wasn't surprised that there were those who disagreed with him…and certainly they would come after him. He just wished that they would be a little quieter about it and not disturb him while he was resting under the one good and beautiful thing in Hueco Mundo, the moon and stars.

"Sousuke," said Gin's voice, floating in from somewhere in the darkness, "It looks as though one of the taichous has come to Hueco Mundo."

"I heard the alert. Do you know which taichou?"

"No," said Gin, "But whoever it is, he…or she comes alone and is in a rather remote area. And strangely, whoever it is, makes no move to come closer to Las Noches, nor even to move in any strategic direction."

Aizen frowned.

"How did this person enter Hueco Mundo?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

"That's the strangest part…I don't know. There was no garganta opened…and no other method used that we can identify. It's almost as if the person simply appeared there."

"And is now just remaining in that place…odd. I believe I'll go have a look."

"Oh, sounds like fun," said Gin, "Can I tag along?"

"Of course, come."

"Would you like to take along a few exequias…just in case?" Gin asked

He read the annoyed expression on his superior's face and laughed softly.

"Just a suggestion. It could be a trap…meant to catch your attention. You know, not everyone on their side is stupid."

"No," Aizen agreed, "It's just too bad for them that the intelligent ones are not the ones holding the most power."

He sighed softly.

"It is that very stupidity and short-sightedness that will lead them to ruin…Gin"

"That goes without saying," the silver haired shinigami agreed.

They made their way across the sand in silence, Aizen's eyes straying up to the stars as they flash stepped through the stillness, leaving a trail of disturbed sand in their wake. Dunes and cliffs rose up in their path, only to be passed over and left behind.

"You're rather quiet tonight, Gin," Aizen observed.

He flash stepped to the top of a sand dune and paused to scan ahead, then glanced back at his colleague, who he found to be looking up at the crescent moon. He knew well the expression and walked back to him.

"Gin," he said, startling him out of his reverie, "What's on your mind?"

"Oh…nothing really…"

"Nothing," said Aizen, unconvinced, "Gin, I know it's her birthday."

He observed the silver haired shinigami for a moment.

"Maybe you should go and visit her," he suggested.

He received a genuine smile in return.

"Go and visit her? You _are_ funny, Sousuke! I'd have to be mad to set foot in the Seireitei! I'd be arrested and executed, likely before morning! _Go and visit her!_ Right…"

"I could use my zanpakutou…" he offered.

He caught the look of longing that passed over Gin's face.

"No, thank you…you know, it doesn't work on everyone. I'd be found in a flash, I imagine…"

"Then only allow her to see you. It should be easy enough. Just approach her when she's alone."

"And do what? She'd probably arrest me…turn me in, herself," he said, shaking his head, not quite believing Aizen had him actually considering such a thing.

"Well, you won't know if you never ask her. Go."

He drew his weapon…

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."

Gin frowned in disapproval.

"This is a little dangerous…"

"Like trying to overthrow the Spirit King isn't? Get out of here, Gin. I can handle a lone taichou gone astray…and if I can't then I don't deserve to be the leader."

Gin laughed softly, then drew his sword and opened a garganta. He started to step through, then stopped and looked back.

"What, no teary good bye, Sousuke?" he asked, grinning.

"Why? You're not coming back?" Aizen asked, blinking slowly.

"Well," he said cryptically, "I guess we'll see."

He laughed again and stepped through the garganta. Shaking his head and allowing himself a small smile, Aizen continued through the desert until he drew near the place where he had sensed the enemy taichou. A check of the reiatsu in the area seemed abysmally low, meaning that the taichou had probably lowered or masked it. The sand in the area looked undisturbed, with no tracks leading into or out of the small depression where the reiatsu signal seemed to be centered. He moved forward, his senses extended, expecting fully that he would, at some point, be attacked. But the area him remained silent except for his tread on the sand. He crested a small rise and saw a crumpled body lying in the sand ahead of him. The reiatsu coming from it indicated a life about to expire. Curious, but still expecting it to be a trap, he stepped forward.

The form ahead of him in the sand remained still and silent. As he drew closer, the moon lit the blood on the white yukata he wore. He could see a slight movement, meaning that whoever it was, was barely alive…and not likely to stay that way for long. He closed the distance between them and knelt down, turning the limp body over and positioning the face so he could see it in the moonlight. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Byakuya…" he whispered.

He looked around again, wondering at the oddness of the scene…the lack of any signs of a battle or the passage of anyone living or hollow.

"You're lucky that your spiritual pressure was so low or the hollows out here would have eaten you," he said, opening the yukata to study his wounds, "And that would just be too simple a death for someone like you, ne?"

A cold chill passed through him at the sight of the one wound. A zanpautou directly through the heart. A killing blow.

"My," he said softly, "someone wanted to make sure that you didn't come back. Interesting that one such as you would fall prey to such…"

He stopped and reached out with his senses. His eyes darkened and became stormy.

"Unacceptable," he whispered, "Put out and murdered without any chance to resist. Granted you're strong, but…this is a coward's work."

He sighed in disgust and leaned over the noble, healing energy flaring around his hands.

"You may be an enemy, but this is far too disgraceful a way for any man to die…so it isn't going to happen."

But although he could heal the wound, he couldn't undo the fact that he had lain so long in the sand that he had bled too much…or the fact that his reiatsu had diminished to the point where saving him was not an option. He gazed down at the nearly dead shinigami, frowning.

"What's the matter, Byakuya?" he asked in a low voice, "Don't you want to live? Don't you want to make the coward who took your life this way pay for it? Well…I'll tell you what…I will help you…free of charge. I know it's odd and perhaps a little reckless, but I despise this kind of behavior."

He leaned over Byakuya and brushed his eyes closed.

"This might hurt a bit…but after being stabbed in the heart, it won't hurt as much."

He bowed his head slightly and focused, using the power of the hougyoku. Reiatsu rose around them, disturbing the sand and making the wind rise. In the sand before him, Byakuya's eyes opened wide and his mouth opened into a scream as the hollow mask began to form. He watched as the enemy taichou writhed and moaned and the mask continued to grow. Slowly, the shinigami's struggling ceased and he lay quietly in the sand, his breathing heavier and labored. Aizen knelt next to him, admiring the mask that had formed.

It was as finely carved and as beautiful as the noble, himself, mingled blue and white in a dance of swirls, and inlaid with gold. He reached down and carefully removed it.

"Don't worry," he told the unconscious noble, "another will form whenever your hollow form emerges, but this original is somewhat special. I hope you don't mind if I keep it," he said, placing the mask in his pocket.

He stood and lifted the noble into his arms.

"Now, I think I should return you to the Seireitei. I have an idea of where you'll be safe until you awaken."

He drew his sword and slashed the sky. A garganta opened and he carried Byakuya through. He set down in the forest near Kuchiki Manor and headed for the lake.

"You may not remember," he told the noble, "but when I lived in the Seirietei, I had a cabin where I would go for peace and reflection. It makes a good place to conceal myself and observe now, but there will be no harm in letting you borrow it."

He walked on a barely visible trail that wound around the lake and led to what looked like an abandoned, burned out cabin. As they passed inside, however, the interior looked clean and impeccably well kept. He passed through the front entry and carried Byakuya to one of the bedrooms, then set the noble down and flash stepped to the closet.

"You're a mess, Byakuya. This won't do at all."

He untied the bloodied, white yukata and carried the noble to the bathroom, where he ran a warm bath and began to wash the blood away. As his hands passed over the soft, pale flesh, he couldn't help but admire the artistry that had gone into the making of his body, the finely shaped bone structure, the delicate look that concealed shocking amounts of power, lovely, proud features and nothing to mar the beauty of him, now that the hole in his heart had disappeared.

He knelt next to the unconscious noble, wondering again who might have wanted him dead badly enough to kill him in such an unseemly and dishonorable fashion. And then, there was the way he had been left. Yes, this wasn't just someone who didn't like Byakuya, this was someone who hated him with a passion. And while he had found the man's proud nature a bit annoying, he certainly didn't hate Byakuya. To the contrary, he found him quite fascinating. He looked, walked and talked like his noble kin, but there was something different about him. And this difference had gotten him into trouble with the clan on more than one occasion…the most well known occasion being when he had defied the rules and married a commoner. There was, he had decided then, more than met the eye about this noble…

He finished cleaning away the last of the blood and lifted Byakuya out of the bathtub, then carefully dried him off and dressed him on one of Aizen's own yukatas, a dark, rich red on that he thought looked lovely with all those swirls of black hair tumbled down onto the shoulders. He carried the noble back into the bedroom and tucked him in bed, using his power to keep Byakuya from waking.

Walking out to the kitchen, he made some tea and carried it back to the noble, raising his consciousness just enough so that he could drink the tea without choking and without fully waking. He wasn't, he decided, ready for Byakuya to know who had assisted him. The noble had other things of importance to deal with, not the least of which was finding and dispatching whoever had ordered his assassination. And besides, Aizen thought, he would most likely blow the doors off his manor when he realized the lengths someone had gone to to save his life.

He certainly didn't expect that Byakuya would thank him…

In all likelihood, the noble would be incensed enough to want to hunt down and kill the one who hollowfied him. But perhaps he would content himself with killing his would be assassin.

Aizen sighed.

"Time will tell," he said softly.

He looked one last time at the handsome noble sleeping soundly in his bed. He _was_ definitely pleasing to the senses and one didn't get too many chances to see such a beautiful creature up close like this. He leaned forward and planted a warm kiss on the soft, sweet tasting lips. The feeling of that kiss stayed with him as he opened a garganta and made his way back to Las Noches. It stayed with him as he showered and prepared himself for bed. It stayed with him as he turned to look out the window and caught sight of a lovely shooting star.

_I wish you were mine…_he thought. Then, he laughed at himself for thinking in such a way. That one such as Kuchiki Byakuya would ever love a dangerous traitor to Soul Society was beyond ridiculous. It was beyond dangerous and bordering on insane. But in the darkness of his room, under the stars and moon, it was enjoyable to indulge in fantasy. He did, after all, have a creative and busy mind. And thinking about Kuchiki Byakuya was amusing…amusing…and stimulating.

He fell asleep, still thinking about the noble, and wondering what he would do when he woke. Would he remember the killing? And how long would it be before he caught and killed the ones who had done it? Odd questions, he thought, but he needed something to occupy him as he waited for the time to advance in his plans. And this noble seemed a deeply pleasant diversion.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya opened his eyes and groaned uncomfortably. He sat up, bringing a hand to his aching head as he looked around the room, trying to figure out where was. Realization coming into his eyes, he tore the yukata open and stared down at his bared chest.

_So odd. I remember waking…and there was a blade through my heart…_

His searching fingers found an odd reiatsu around where the wound had been. And a moment later, he discovered that there seemed to be a dfference in his own reiatsu, though he couldn't sense what it was. He felt chilled and uncertain.

It was obvious enough that someone had tried to kill him…not the one who had actually struck the killing blow, but someone who ordered that person to do it. He took some comfort in remembering having slain the assassin, but the one who had ordered his death was still walking around, alive and likely to try it again. He had to get back to the manor and begin unraveling the mystery, but he was going to have to be extremely careful. Whoever had done this had gone to great lengths to see that he died. And in fact…he had thought they had succeeded. Certainly, he couldn't think of a reason why he was alive…and in this place…having been brought here by some other person…someone powerful enough to have stopped him from dying, but not terribly interested in sticking around to take credit for doing so.

Byakuya sighed and settled back into the bed. He wasn't ready to leave this place and return just yet. Before he left the safety of this sanctuary, he needed, he thought, to have a strategy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Oddities**

"Well," said Gin, smiling, "I'm awfully glad you decided not to turn me in on sight."

Rangiku lifted her head off of his chest and regarded him sternly.

"You know, I still could," she said, nuzzling closer.

"Yes," grinned Gin, "You could turn me in…and I could kill you, but it seems we have other priorities, ne?"

"For the moment," the red haired woman said, warningly, "I do warn you that I could change my mind at any minute."

"True," said Gin, stealing an indulgent kiss, "but I do hope you'll decide not to. It would be a shame to ruin things when we're having such fun!"

Rangiku's eyes softened and became anxious.

"Seriously, though, you can't be here in the morning. You _will_ get caught. Not everyone will be fooled by the illusion…"

"Not to worry," said Gin, good naturedly, "I have no intention of being here after dawn…and every intention of returning to Hueco Mundo."

Rangiku sighed and sank deeply into his embrace.

"I wish I understood why you stay with him…why you betrayed everyone."

Gin sighed in annoyance.

"Oh, let's don't start all that again!" he complained, "I thought we agreed to just live in the moment…to leave our questions at the bedroom door and just enjoy ourselves. We aren't going to agree, so let's save ourselves the headache of trying. The simple fact is, we want to be together. Let's just do that…and worry about the rest later!"

"And what happens when your leader is ready to move forward with his plans?" she asked.

Gin leaned forward and kissed the questions away until the red haired woman's body relaxed beneath his and she grew quiet and calm again. He met her eyes warmly and nuzzled her cheek.

"Here now, that's much better," he said softly, "Let's indulge one more time, before I have to go."

Her bright eyes filled with reticence, Rangiku melted beneath his kisses until everything else disappeared.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya lowered his reiatsu and flash stepped back to the Squad Six office. He moved around to the back of the building and slipped in through the window into his quarters. He kept his reiatsu lowered and moved to the door, listening.

"Has anyone heard from Kuchiki taichou?" Renji's worried voice said, "He didn't come to work…and he didn't take leave. He just…disappeared. No one at Kuchiki Manor has seen him since he went to bed last night. His personal attendant heard nothing out of the ordinary during the night and this morning, nothing appeared to be out of place in his room.

My attendant was either drugged, or a participant…and after I lost consciousness, someone cleared away all signs of struggle, the body of my attacker…and that same person dumped me in Hueco Mundo. It's so odd that I woke up back in the Seireitei. It makes me wonder if I simply hallucinated the part about being in Hueco Mundo…

He had a momentary flash of memory. Gentle hands touching him…a soft, curious voice…flares of power and shattering pain…a kiss that seemed to still warm his lips. He shook his head in confusion as the voices continued outside his room.

"I checked his room here already…the training grounds…everywhere I know he would go," Renji went on, "I am at the end of my rope wondering, but the head captain says we must wait for there to be proof of foul play…that it may be that he discovered something of importance and is simply investigating it."

"I'm sorry, sir," Rikichi's voice said in reply, "I haven't heard or seen anything."

Byakuya opened his door and stepped into the hallway outside the office.

"Rukia is beside herself," Renji continued, "She saw him return to his room last night, and no one at all was told he was leaving…and he would tell someone if it was a mission…even a personal one. He would tell some…"

Renji broke off as Byakuya stepped into the office, dressed in a simple shihakushou.

"Taichou!" he gasped, his face breaking into a relieved smile, "Taichou, where did you disappear to? You scared the life out of Rukia and me…your attendant…your whole staff!"

Byakuya gazed at the two quietly for a moment, thinking.

"Come with me," he said, turning back into his quarters.

Renji and Rikichi exchanged bemused glances and followed the noble into his room. Byakuya sat on a chair beside his coffee table, while his two subordinates sat on the sofa. Both looked at him questioningly.

"I will tell the two of you what happened, but it will not go outside the three of us and Rukia. I will tell her when I return home."

"What happened, Taichou?" asked Renji worriedly.

"There was an attempt on my life in my own room within the manor last night," the noble said, watching Renji and Rikichi's eyes fly open wide.

"Who…?" Renji began.

"I killed the one who struck at me, but I was badly wounded, myself. I was taken from the manor and my room was fastidiously cleaned and set back in order, then I was dumped deep in the desert in Hueco Mundo and left for dead…at least, I remember being there at some point."

"You were in Hueco Mundo?" said Rikichi breathlessly, "How did you get back, Kuchiki taichou?"

Byakuya sighed.

"I do not know. I may have only dreamed of being in Hueco Mundo. I don't know because I woke up in a cottage on the shore of a lake near the manor. It may be that I dreamed of Hueco Mundo and was placed in the cabin…but my wounds were healed and I had been bathed and dressed…placed in a bed there. As I was not restrained in any way, I assume that the one who placed me in the cabin was not the one who arranged for my assassination."

"And you don't think the guy who attacked you was the one who planned all of this?"

Byakuya shook his head.

"He was a hired assassin. An enemy would have explained his intent before finishing me off. This man said nothing…and he struck with intent to kill instantly."

"Holy shit…Taichou!" Renji gasped, "Whoever this was is serious! How did he manage to reach you through all of that security? And to hire a competent assassin…it must be another noble, right?"

"Not just another noble," Byakuya said calmly, "A council member."

"What?" Renji whispered, "But…your own family?"

Byakuya nodded.

"You know that marrying Hisana was against clan rules and I compounded that rule breaking by adopting Rukia to honor Hisana's last request. Those actions caused a deep ripple of discord in the council…and recently the discord has deepened as I have refused every attempt that they have made to urge me to marry again. I am not of a mind to marry for convenience and so plan to choose my bride when I feel I have met her."

"Well…that doesn't sound so bad, Taichou," Renji said, scratching the back of his neck, "Certainly, it's not enough to kill a guy over!"

Byakuya sighed.

"It isn't so much the act as the pattern of behavior. It could be the continued disobedience…or…it could be one using that to mask a deeper purpose."

"But who would want you dead, Taichou?" asked Renji.

"Hmmm…" Byakuya said, thinking, "The one with the most to gain from my death is Kuchiki Orochi. He is the next most powerful and is the chosen successor if I were to die. In addition to this, Orochi is just as venomous as his name suggests. He has long despised me, saying that my father was weak and therefore, he should have been chosen over the issue of one who couldn't have qualified as captain level."

"Sounds like a real prick…" commented the redhead.

"There is Head Councilor Nori, but he is the eldest and, I feel, the wisest on council. I don't know what motive he could have beyond despising me for my disobedience, but he has never evinced any sign of that before. He has, in fact, sided with me on many occasions. Next are Tori and Tomi, twins from the largest subfamily and always up to something. Usually, it relates to swaying the council in whatever way they favor, but murder would not be beyond them, if it would greatly benefit them."

"Nice," Renji observed sarcastically.

"Arisu was once a prospect to be my future wife…but I refused to be forced into marriage."

"Did she take offense?" Rikichi asked.

"Of course. It would have meant a higher position in the clan for her as the mother of the next heir, but she, of course, gave no sign she would have been attracted to me otherwise. My cousin, Fumio is book learned and quiet. It is hard to know where his leanings are, except that he usually sides with me. Ryuu is a powerful cousin, but not in line for leadership because he has a commoner for a father. He gained permission to wear the Kuchiki name because of his respectable powers, but I have sensed dark emotion in him, though I don't know if it is directed at me personally. The last council member is Eri. She is another who was considered as a prospect for marriage for me, but she was as resistant to the union as I was. She seeks power, but for herself, not on the heels of any man."

"Ouch, Taichou!" Renji mused, "That's a long list of possibilities. Do you have any relatives who wouldn't want to kill you?"

"Rukia…I think."

Renji chuckled.

"Cute, Taichou. But seriously, it sounds like you won't be safe among them until we find the one who set you up."

"I also need to find out who protected me and why. We will do both, but as we do, I must place my safety in your hands. The two of you are the only ones outside of Rukia who I am willing to trust. As fukutaichou and third seat, I am charging you with that mission as of this moment. During the day, you are to be at my side unless I leave you as part of the investigation. At night, the two of you and Rukia will alternate with two guarding, while one will be sealed in my room, here at the sixth division with me in a reiatsu cage to make attack improbable. I assume that whomever did this will attempt it again. It will be up to you to see to my safety until we identify and stop that person."

"You can count on us, Kuchiki taichou," Rikichi said determinedly.

Renji nodded in agreement.

"I knew that I could," he said, a touch of warmth betrayed in his voice, "but it is good to hear you say it, just the same."

He paused for a moment, thinking silently.

"I think the first thing we should do is to reassure Rukia all is well. Rikichi, I want you to go to Kuchiki Manor. Assure the staff and Rukia that I am all right, then privately inform Rukia about my situation. Renji, you and I will go to the council chambers."

"B-but, Taichou…you said that one of them tried to kill you!"

"One or more…or perhaps all, yes," Byakuya acknowledged, "And you are going to help me try to figure out who it was."

"Huh?"

"When we enter the council chambers, study their faces. I will focus on reiatsu changes around them. Make a mental note of anything unusual you see or sense."

"Hai…if you say so…but I still say closing yourself in a room with your attempted murderer is crazy, Taichou."

"Maybe…" Byakuya admitted, "but it is going to take extreme measures to flush the guilty party or parties out."

"Okay…I'll trust your thinking. You're right more often than not…and you would understand their thinking better than I would."

"Then, come…we must act quickly, before word of my return reaches them."

He moved to the closet and removed three hooded cloaks. He handed one to Rikichi, and donned one, himself, then sent Rikichi to Kuchiki Manor. He and Renji left the Squad Six Office and flash stepped towards the Kuchiki Council Hall, keeping their hoods around their faces and their reiatsu masked. They swept up the steps and into the entry, shoving aside the guards and nearly taking the council chamber door off its hinges. All eyes turned to stare as they flash stepped to the front of the room and drew back the hoods, revealing their faces. The elders' faces flooded with shock and as Renji read each stunned expression, Byakuya studied the changes in the reiatsu in the room. He was quiet for a moment as he took the information in. Head Councilor Nori stood.

"Byakuya-sama!" he exclaimed, "Thank kami, you are safe! When word came from Kuchiki Manor that you were gone and your reiatsu could not be located, we feared the worst!"

"My apologies for unnerving you," Byakuya said calmly, "There was, indeed, an attempt on my life last night, but as you can see, I was rescued before I could expire."

"By whom?" asked Orochi, "We certainly owe them for our leader's rescue."

"I was asked to keep the information private…but let me assure all of you that I am alive and well, and in addition, that I have a group of highly trained shinigamis investigating this matter."

"But we should assist with this!" said Eri, sounding deeply concerned, "It is one of our most important duties to see to the protection of our leader."

"I agree," said Fumio, "Our codes do charge the council with oversight of our leader's safety."

"Under normal circumstances, I would agree," said Byakuya, "However, it was necessary for me to move quickly, and it is equally important that we give no sign to my assailant what our movements will be. I do not want this criminal to escape justice. We must move carefully. I will continue my private investigation and the council is free to begin its own investigation if you choose to do so."

"But before we can investigate, we need to know what you know. What do you remember?"

"I went to sleep last night in my bed. At some point, I remember a man attacking me and fighting back. I vaguely remember the feeling that someone else was with me…and healing power touching me. I do not remember waking, but stumbled into the sixth division this morning, unaware of how I arrived there. I am sorry, but I cannot be of more assistance than that. You will have to draw your own conclusions. You may, of course, visit Kuchiki Manor and we will search my room. But Renji told me upon my return that my room seemed undisturbed. Of course, a deeper forensic scan must be done to be certain there are no clues, so you are welcome to witness this or not as you choose."

"I think that, until this perpetrator is found that you should house yourself within the council hall," suggested Arisu, "Apparently, this person had access to your manor."

"I have a theory about that, but will need to work carefully to confirm it," Byakuya said, looking at each of the council members in turn, "The one who set this up either was someone within my family or staff…or…"

He paused for a moment.

"Or…an illusion type zanpakutou was used," he finished.

"But…" said Ryuu, staring, "to get through the defenses at Kuchiki Manor, the zanpakutou would have to be ban kai strength!"

"And there is only one illusion type zanpakutou that strong…" mused Tori.

"Kyoka Suigetsu," breathed Nori, stunned, "You think Aizen Sousuke tried to assassinate you?"

"It would make sense," Byakuya said, nodding, "He hates the noble families because we protect the spirit king and the system of justice Aizen seeks to undo. He used Rukia in his plans, because I am the strongest of the noble leaders. It makes sense that he would strike at me. In addition to reducing the fighting strength of our noble clan, he would simultaneously reduce the power of the Gotei 13 to oppose him."

"That makes sense," said Tomi.

"I agree," said Nori, "But we need to be sure…and it will be difficult. I move that we conduct a careful investigation, but only release to the public that there was a false alarm, that nothing of consequence happened at the manor. We don't want Aizen to know that we suspect him."

Byakuya nodded.

"I have access to someone who can monitor Aizen covertly and report on his movements, now that we suspect him. I will not reveal the identity of that person, because it will endanger the person if anyone else knows, but I will set this person in motion, gathering information."

"That sounds like a prudent course of action," said Nori, nodding.

"But during the investigation, how will you be protected?" asked Orochi.

"I have seen to that," Byakuya told them, "As a taichou, I will rely on members of my division to protect me. They protect me from the hollows, and I have never been attacked in my quarters there. I will house myself there until the investigation concludes."

"We shall be happy to provide elite guards…or the second division…" Nori offered.  
"No…" Byakuya said, shaking his head, "I already know who I will entrust this to. I need no other security."

"Very well, then," said Nori, "You have the full cooperation of the council."

Byakuya thanked the council, then led Renji out of the building. Renji followed, looking at him in confusion as they returned to the sixth division, but kept his questions until they were alone in the taichou's quarters.

"Taichou…you don't actually think that Aizen Sousuke tried to kill you, do you?"

"No," Byakuya said, "but I needed the council to believe that I was convinced of it so that the one or ones responsible will feel they got away with it. It will lure them into thinking they can reach me again."

Renji nodded.

"That makes sense…"

He broke off at the sound of a knock on the door.

"Nii-sama?" Rukia said form outside the door, "It's me. Rikichi and I are here."

Byakuya nodded and Renji opened the door, allowing Rikichi and Byakuya's relieved sister to enter.

"Nii-sama!" Rukia said, her eyes tearing, "I was so worried."

Byakuya felt a surge of warmth inside.

"Do not worry," he assured her, "I am fine."


End file.
